


Project Yecht Fradí: The Language of Tír Fradí

by Lyfurn



Series: Project Yecht Fradí [1]
Category: GreedFall (Video Game)
Genre: Conlang, I kind of know what I'm doing, Languages, Languages and Linguistics, Other, Project Yecht Fradí, Spoilers, Yecht Fradí
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyfurn/pseuds/Lyfurn
Summary: Beurd tír to mad!  Welcome to Project Yecht Fradí.This project was born out of a desire to make sense of the native language created for the Spiders game, GreedFall.  Using provided translations, in-game codex entries, notes found in the game’s files, and context clues, this project aims to construct a dictionary, phrasebook, and guide to Yecht Fradí.I hope to decipher all of the native text found in-game, as well as provide new words for a more complete conlang, for fan use.  Since we won’t be getting an official guide, I can’t guarantee the accuracy of this work, but a good deal of research has gone into its creation.Warning: spoilers everywhereThis project remains a work in progress and the contents therein are subject to change.
Series: Project Yecht Fradí [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936762
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Preface

[According to its creator,](https://twitter.com/bob2356/status/1171950646867554304?s=20) Yecht Fradí is a constructed language developed using old Celtic languages, including Old Irish, Old Welsh, Old Breton, and Gaulish. Unfortunately, aside from a few select phrases, he wasn’t able to provide me with any further guidance.

Luckily, knowing that the language was constructed from Proto-Celtic was enough to begin putting the pieces together. The modern descendants of Proto-Celtic have been very useful for determining grammar and morphology, especially modern Irish.

I started off using the in-game translations and codex entries, but quickly ran out of material. The next step was examining game files to look for dialogue I may have missed; I also hoped to find a dictionary that may have been used by the devs, but I had no such luck. A select few of the dialogue files did have some annotations, although they were in French, so I had to rely upon google translate (I know, I know). Finally, I also made heavy use of context clues.

As a note before I begin the guide in earnest, I am not a linguist. I know a smattering of words in various other languages, but I’m only fluent in English, and I took one semester of linguistics over a decade ago. This is _not_ my area of expertise.

This project is fueled by obsession and furious googling while I try to make sense of concepts I definitely learned somewhere back in gradeschool and then promptly forgot. As such, throughout the guide I will provide links for further reading, because you definitely don’t want me attempting to explain linguistic concepts to you.

This project began with a relatively short posting to Reddit back in January, a longer posting on Tumblr a few months later, and has only grown since then, so I thought it was time to move to AO3.

All that being said, this work probably contains mistakes! If you happen to be more versed in Celtic languages or linguistics and see something that makes you say, “Wow, what is this person going on about?” please feel free to correct me. I welcome all constructive feedback. You can contact me here, or you can find me on Tumblr under the same name.

Finally, I want to thank those in the GreedFall community. Fanfiction writers, readers, those players who just wanted translations- I may have started this project for me, but you’ve all been a major motivation to keep on plugging away at it no matter how many walls I hit.

A special thanks to **Mori** , who introduced me to the concept of initial mutations and got me started down that rabbit hole.

Another big thanks to **yousoseelie** , who is also working on her own guide, and who listened to me ramble for days. Bouncing ideas back and forth was really instrumental in helping me figure out some of this grammar, so thank you again!


	2. Introduction

Yecht Fradí is a fictional descendant of Proto-Celtic and distant relation to the more modern Celtic languages. Proto-Celtic itself is descended from Proto-Indo-European. You can read more about PIE and its development [ here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language). Because of its relation to the inspiration languages, I expanded my resource pool to include the PIE roots and reflexes.

In addition to Google Translate, Wikipedia, and the Wiktionary, my sources include:  
 _Celtic Lexicon Research Project_ from the University of Wales  
 _Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic_ by Ranko Matasović  
 _Indo-European Lexicon, Pokorny Master PIE Etyma_ from the University of Texas at Austin, Linguistics Research Center  
 _Old Irish Online_ from the University of Texas at Austin, Linguistics Research Center  
 _Nualéargais (website)_

Because there are so many possible sources for words in Yecht Fradí, I’ll make use of abbreviations to note language sources, as well as grammatical functions, once we get to the dictionary portion.

Dictionary entries will be in alphabetical order according to the Yecht Fradí, and will appear as follows:

 **word /initial mutation/** [grammatical functions] definition; literal definition if applicable  
language source: source word

There may be several sources listed. I will also list possibilities for words I haven’t yet been able to pin down a definition for.

The process for determining word meaning and source can be difficult. Sometimes I got lucky and a search for a word in English or Yecht Fradí would yield a result. For example, searching for “spear” or “gais” revealed the Proto-Celtic stem “gaiso-.” Easy.

More often than not, however, the process was more complicated.

A Yecht Fradí word that presents with a “v” as the first letter may appear in a source with the first letter as “b” or “w.” “C” may appear as “k” or “g,” vowels may change from “e” to “a” and vice versa, or maybe an “i” was added or removed. You get the idea.

If trying any number of variations of the native word didn’t work, if I had a definition in English, I had to try searching for a synonym. Sometimes that worked, sometimes not. With _no_ definition, it became a challenge of examining the context of the word, both within the sentence and within the occasion it was used.

When you’re searching from six or seven different source materials, this becomes a **_Process_**.

This all to say that I haven’t been able to find definitions or evidence of a root word for all of the Yecht Fradí. It’s a lot of trial and error, and unfortunately some words have eluded me. If you see a word with no definition and you want to try your hand at figuring it out, contact me and I’d be happy to share my WIP files, notes, and resources.


	3. Phrases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few useful phrases.

**Andevaurshd tír …  
** This phrase is used when mentioning someone’s death, akin to “rest in peace.” For example, Síora says this when she sees her mother’s body. 

**Andevaurshd tír é  
** May the earth welcome him

 **Andevaurshd tír ent  
** May the earth welcome them

 **Andevaurshd tír se  
** May the earth welcome her

 **Andevaurshd tír to mátir**  
May the earth welcome you, mother

**Hello & Goodbye**

**Beurd tír to mad**  
Good day / Hello; lit. “may the earth carry you well”

 **Kwa awelam seg  
** Goodbye, Until we meet again; lit. “to the next wind”

**Romance**

**Cair to**  
I love you

 **Coudend neis greda comolei**  
Our hearts beat together

**Exclamations, Interjections**

**A to, oi!  
** You, hey!

 **Oi!  
** Hey!

 **Yórí  
** Used to express mild shock, dismay; literal meaning unknown

 **Ná**  
No!

 **Nod fradí!  
** Used to express shock, dismay; lit. “blessed lifeblood/sap”

 **Cer toncedág!  
** What a misfortune/disgrace!; lit. "fateful fall"

 **Clos duis, a ruicht neis dírí!**  
Hear us, O face of our land!

 **Adlorhedar**  
Thank you; literal meaning unknown

 **Es trag me**  
I’m sorry, Excuse me; lit. “Is tragedy on-me”

 **Trocared!  
** (Have) Mercy!

 **Vored!  
** Help!

 **Diwed!**  
Stop!

**Ritual**  
These lines are heard during island rituals, beseeching en on míl frichtimen to welcome someone. Practically, this seems to mean marking someone as on ol menawí, as it’s chanted during Yewan’s bonding ceremony. May also function as a sort of prayer: “watch over her/him/them.”

 **Men duis dad, en on míl frichtimen**  
Mark us yours, one of a thousand faces; lit. “mark us to-you” [tentative]

 **Men é dad**  
Mark him yours

 **Men se dad**  
Mark her yours

**The Importance of Who  
** Sentence structure can be flexible in Yecht Fradí. The following are examples of the way one can ask, “Who?”

 **Es cwé to?**  
lit. "is who you?"

 **Cwé es?**  
lit. "who is?"

 **Kwé es sí?**  
lit. "who is this?"


	4. Conversation Translations - Simple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter provides translations for in-game conversations in the native language. This chapter will not break down each word nor give literal translations. This chapter is simply for those people wishing to know the essence of what was said in certain conversations.
> 
> A few are still missing words here and there. I have ~~helpfully~~ marked these with **_???_** s. Words marked with just one question mark I have some evidence of, but I’m not 100% about.
> 
> Literal translations and breakdowns will be in a later chapter.

**Native Merchant Accosted by Rebels  
** Doneia Egsregaw corner a merchant from Ullan’s village who was hoping to trade in Hikmet.

 **Merchant:  
** Ná! Trocared! Tégedís dem! Ma meunde!  
 _No! Have mercy! Leave from me! My_ **_???_ ** _!_

 **Rebel:  
** Ah, ah, ah! Selldís cwe!  
 _Ah, ah, ah! Look at him!  
_ Galud é e renaigsa da voredi! Help! This traitor to his people needs help!  
 _He calls the foreigners for help! Help! This traitor to his people needs help!_

 **Merchant:  
** Es sí táda! A vergaiga! Help!  
 _This is theft! Robbers! Help!_

* * *

 **Rebels Tracking Aphra  
** This conversation can be overheard by De Sardet and co. when looking for the missing Bridger scientists.

 **Rebel Tracker:  
** Farwedend sei loirg cwa hesa, es doug em nás cwels se…  
 _Her tracks lead here, she must not be far…_

 **Island Tracker:  
** Es radei da orhelaw em adregd cwa hei luchtom, neu sieindád neis súnosed!  
 _We must avoid her returning to her family, or our camp will be lost!_

 **Rebel Tracker:  
** Smeuns em ná fravind ed?  
 _Do you think I don't know that?  
_ Es celg e layon sag ná esloidád dem ochs has.  
 _The lioness is clever but she will not escape from me indefinitely._

 **Island Tracker:  
** Cwelsheid ed ail bud radei da dégewd e dúnosed!  
 _We must hope or we will have to move the camp!  
_ Tranegaw e sen sení…  
 _Abandon the old fort…_

 **Rebel Tracker:  
** Vreigámes sin es radei ya.  
 _We will do what needs to be done.  
_ Toig!  
 _Come on!  
_ Arlinmu neis hachawa…  
 _Let’s continue our search..._

* * *

 **Rebel Chief Spy Approach Conversation  
** This exchange can be heard between the Doneia Egsregaw chief and one of her subordinates following the successful rescue of the Bridger scientists.

 **Daren:  
** Smeunaw em lincwídem tégewd ent!  
 _To think we let them leave!  
_ Bo radei em bo moy catasach ní...  
 _We should have been more vigilant..._

 **Scout:  
** Es trag me, echter he voredaw de ha on ol menawí, ol víshaw samel renaigse, ná syaurdo!  
 _I'm sorry, without the help of this marked one dressed as a stranger, it wouldn’t have happened!_

 **Daren:  
** Es san sa on ol menawí.   
_This marked one is different.  
_ Ná túig cwai vogníd e renaigsa.  
 _I don’t understand why it serves the foreigners._

 **Scout:  
** Reiud ka he suchtam rígenó Bládnid.  
 _He would travel with the daughter of Queen Bládnid._

 **Daren:  
** Es echter lond…  
 _That doesn’t make sense....  
_ Cwai toiugd cwerrídaw e suchtam Bládnidas ya aruid vred e layona ent?  
 _Why would Bládnid’s daughter, who fought against the lions, come to free them?_

 **Scout:  
** Ná fravind.   
_I don’t know.  
_ Es doug em es ca hadba se…  
 _She must have her reasons..._

* * *

 **Rebel Chief Spy Conversation  
** This exchange can be heard between the Doneia Egsregaw chief and one of her subordinates following the successful rescue of the Bridger scientists and the previous conversation.

 **Daren:  
** Echter he layona ná fravind cwod airaigámes neis luchtom...  
 _Without the Lions I don't know how we're going to find our family…_

 **Scout:  
** Es trag me, mál...  
 _I'm sorry, chief…_

 **Daren:  
** Bud vegen ail sag es radei da roudaw e diernas harh cadachtas.  
 _There will be other occasions but it is necessary to warn the great mistress of wisdom.  
_ Syodei donei cwa VÍgshádhír, beurd e lerg an siedeudhair.  
 _Send a man/person to Vígshádhír, that he may take the path to the North East._

 **Scout:  
** Clois to, mál.  
 _I hear you, chief._

 **Daren:  
** Ag es radei da grimoderidaw e nádí sa súnosedí…  
 _And we will have to take care of strengthening the defense of this camp …_

* * *

 **Ritual of the Storm Warriors  
** The conversation between the shaman of the Cengedan Anedas and En On Míl Frichtimen during their ritual.

 **Shaman** :   
Clos duis, a to de yam ceneded olei!  
 _Hear us, O you from whom everything flows!  
_ Tad olaun vrandí, olaun aleis, ag en olei veyí.  
 _Father of every spring, of every rock, and of all that lives.  
_ Clos e garmam e talemí ol flínauí ca grem!  
 _Hear the cry of the earth filled with blood!  
_ Clos e ciedom ta jenteis ol arbínauí a ol slaí!  
 _Hear the sob of your raped and slaughtered children!  
_ Farn cwa sa cengedan fradem a dígelam!  
 _Offer to these warriors blessings and revenge!  
_ Lincwíd dwint da darbau sa ya galansend ní.  
 _Allow them to chase those who slaughter us.  
_ Togomber neis grem ol snegauí a ren casí e crimoderem da negau ed dent.   
_Receive our shed blood and give us the strength to shed theirs.  
_ Clos duis, a ruicht neis dírí!  
_Hear us, O face of our earth!_

 **EOMF** :  
Clois deis rharman a deis giedon, a rhenta!  
 _I hear your cries and your tears, children!  
_ Es farnau fradí da ma gengedan ya digalaidándi ent.  
 _Blessed are my warriors who will avenge them.  
_ Es farnau fradí da wint gaishedon ag es farnau fradí da wint grem ol snegauí.  
 _Blessed are their weapons and blessed are their shed blood._

* * *

**Spying on Dunncas and the Village Elders  
** This conversation is encountered during one of Aphra’s quests. She implores you to follow the village elders from Vígyígidaw to witness the secret meeting between them and Dunncas in Cerghanes. Dialogue file annotation reads, “The player doesn't understand the native language, so it doesn't matter what they say to each other, but if it's going to make sense, better they talk about the night and the hero / aphra.”   
I tried to use this context to determine what they were saying, but this conversation is still mostly a mystery, and I can’t guarantee how correct everything else is. You may also notice that what I do have translated is more literal than other translations.

 **Elder 01:  
** Mandú velu deis, Dunncas?  
 ** _??? ???_ ** _yours, Dunncas?_

 **Dunncas:  
** Ya, es radei da hamirádi, smeuin em es en yeuang arulám.  
 _If it’s necessary to_ **_???_ ** _, I think the young hero will fight._

 **Elder 02:  
** Sag nás vell da gomarosi e tégedach renaigsemen?  
 _But won’t they wish to accompany the departure of the foreigners?_

 **Dunncas:  
** Nás folad em voucsand wint éd sin ya es radei da regu.  
 _Not possible with-me_ **_???_ ** _their_ **_???_ ** _that which who is necessary to_ **_???.  
_** Es dag e lochsen, nás folad da hestegaw clos e garmam.  
 _Is_ **_???_ ** _the_ **_???,_ ** _not possible to_ **_???_ ** _hear the cry._

* * *

 **Spying on Morian and Yewan in the Cave of Knowledge  
** This conversation between the young couple is heard during Aphra’s quest.  
Dialogue file annotation reads, “They talk about their future and their love for one another. They also evoke the soon-to-be-human ritual of becoming a shaman, fears and hopes about it.” Again, I tried to use that context to determine what they were saying.

 **Yewan:  
** Es co halen!   
_It’s so beautiful!  
_ Es co valg me da gengu sa lergem an ta dabem a vinundhanom.  
 _I’m so proud to walk this path at your side, my soulmate._

 **Morian:  
** Mach es voglendaiga ní dau, a yígídámes e tír comolei…  
 _Soon is voglendaiga we_ **_???,_ ** _and we will heal the land together._

 **Yewan:  
** Cair to, Morian...   
_I love you, Morian...  
_ Ag es radei da rádidaw em tairger began...  
 _And/So I need the opportunity to speak of my fears..._

 **Morian:  
** Coudend neis greda comolei, nás ol targu to.   
_Our hearts beat together, don’t be afraid.  
_ Vregd e dedmád ad vad!  
 _Do the ritual of judgement!  
_ A bud an ta dabem me en e cergam...   
_And I will be at your side in the circle...  
_ No a da holeg!  
 _Now and to always!_

* * *

 **Mev in the Bosque and Stone Circle  
** These lines are said by Mev; the first when you first encounter her in the Bosque, and the rest when you finally catch up after chasing her.

 **Mev:  
** Vorreg!  
 _Get up!  
_ Esin!  
 _There!  
_ Nád dam dent!  
 _Protect me from them!  
_ Ná! Ná! Ná tégeud dem!   
_No! No! Don’t leave me!  
_ Ná vardo abalau!  
 _I don’t want you to die!_

* * *

 **Drunk Native Singing  
** This encounter happens during one of the quests to uncover Egon’s identity. If you leave the customs officer to his fate at the hands of Egon’s flunkies in the quarry, the quest would eventually lead you to Hikmet. There, you would discover that the missing alcohol was being given to the natives of Tír Fradí in order to weaken them.  
To set the scene, it’s night, the native is standing in an alley near the tavern in Hikmet holding a bottle of alcohol, singing and swaying. This bit of text is one I’m really struggling with, so there are more **???** s than actual words, and all translations are _very_ tentative...

 **Native:  
** Toigd saul anes lochsen! E dau taidend co lag…  
 _Would come sun_ **_??? ???_ ** _! The day arrives so soon...  
_ Froisd cwen glas toredem, cwan veil blagoiri e lougí bieí.  
 ** _???_ ** _green tree(s)_ **_???_ ** _, when see_ **_???_ ** _the_ **_??? ???_ ** _.  
_ Toigd síl anes cwen! Froisd ambsád vasem, e dau vregend lowen.  
Would come seed(s) **???** tree(s)! **??? ??? ???** , the day did **???**.  
Daunsei da va metem! Daunsei da va metem!  
 _Dancing to my_ ** _?_** **_???_** _! Dancing to my_ ** _?_** **_???_** _!_

 **Síora (if you ask her to intervene):  
** Nás to ca vebel? You have let the renaigse poison you, and now you've lost your way!  
 _Have you no shame?  
_ Go home to your people! Ammánt! Your doneigad will know how take care of you!  
 _Foolish!_

* * *

 **Mev During the Ritual  
** These lines are spoken by Mev during the anatelas fer ritual.

 **Mev:  
** A to ol komfrangawí e brandí olei hanememen, ades da ma jarmam!  
 _You who joined the source of all spirits, answer to my cry!  
_ Ber e vridenan ta hanemó kwa ta grefem a linkwíd dam da renaw de ta jodous.  
 _Trace the roots of your soul to your body and allow me to take your voice.  
_ Lémat... De ta hauan kloisám.  
 _So ... I'll hear through your ears.  
_ De ta lugedon veilám.  
 _Through your eyes I will see.  
_ De ta ragam buleidám.  
 _Through your nose I will smell.  
_ De ta tamenam rélaidám.  
 _Through your mouth I will reveal.  
_ A de ta lámam kantábeidám... En anatelam fer frág t'angom.  
 _And by your hand I will feel ... the last breath before your death._

* * *

 **Eden Exiled Ambiance  
** These separate lines can be overheard when sneaking through the camp of those who stole the stone tablets from Eden.

 **Exile:  
** E renaígse ya toigend cwa hesa da elu deis…  
 _The stranger who comes to here to flee_ **_?_ ** _yours_ **_?_ ** _…_

Smeuin em veldú siemu?  
 _I think_ **_??? ???_ ** _?_

Es doug e kantel e hawelas...  
 _It must be the wind..._

* * *

 **During the Fight with Vinbarr  
** During the fight to rescue Constantin. 

**Vinbarr:  
** Your lands threw you out and you ended up here! Claud tír sí! You shall not have ours!  
 _The land weeps_ **_?_ ** _!  
_ Daunsei da va metem! As I die, I will serve! Once more!  
 _Dancing to my_ ** _?_** **_???_** _!  
_ Teged! You are too blind, too renaigse to understand!  
 _Leave!_

* * *

 **Other Lines  
** These other lines were taken from files that were to be randomly uttered by native villagers. Many of them appear to be used for guarding behavior (does the NPC detect the player? Did they lose track of the detected player? Etc.) while others are just for general ambiance.  
Some of these lines are also taken during other quests from various NPCs.

 **Síora, first meeting:  
** A to, oi! Sients rádidaw cwint da dégewd me en?  
 _You, hey! Can you speak to them to let me in?_

 **Síora, during battle:  
** Your armour is broken! Sell dad!  
 _Look out!_ ** _?  
_** Faurnd e dar ad grimoderem dam.  
 _Offer the gift of strength to me._

 **Síora, to a Bridger:  
** How's that? Lémat rádids neis yechtem?  
 _How’s that? So you speak our tongue?_

 **Warrior:  
** E renaígse ya toigend cwa hesa da elu deis…   
_The stranger who came to here to flee_ **_?_ ** _yours_ **_?_ ** _…  
_ Samel míla…   
_Like animals...  
_ Mach diwígánder…   
_Soon_ **_???_ ** _..._

 **Native Woman distracting Man:  
** Oi! Toig, es radei em rádíd cwad.  
 _Hey! Come on, I must speak to you._

 **Cera, before she attacks:  
** Aitmu!  
 _Let’s attack_ _!_

 **Native:  
** Abailándi sa!  
 ** _???_ ** _these/those!_

Neuda… Yórí…  
_Nothing… **???**..._

Berdís suis gaishedon! Towigmer!  
 _Take up our weapons! They are coming_ **_?_ ** _!_

Closdú reicwes…  
 _Hear(tense)_ **_? ???_ ** _...._

Aitmu ven!  
 _Let’s attack, clansmen!_

Es doug e kantel en awelas…  
 _It must be the feel of the wind..._

Bo neuda...   
_(It) was nothing..._

Es é maru, rádídád neuda…  
 _He is dead, he will speak nothing..._

Es vell da tégedach, comarosd e mál ní.  
 _Is wish_ **_?_ ** _to departure, we accompany the chief._

Es radei é rádíd!  
 _I must speak to him!_

Ma meunde! Help us! I beg you!  
 _My_ **_???_** _!_

Es trag me, lémat rádids neis yechtem?  
 _Excuse me, so you speak our tongue?_

Nod fradí!, you should be ashamed of yourself!  
 _Blessed sap!_

*Sigh* Nod fradí! The worst part is that you are right!  
 _Blessed sap!_

Nod fradí! It looks like a Nádaig meneimen!  
 _Blessed sap! It looks like a mountain guardian!_

Oh no! Ná! Cer toncedág! Please do not tell me that she is dead!  
 _No! What a misfortune!_


	5. Mutations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Examples below may not be exhaustive.

**Initial Mutations  
** Initial mutations affect the initial consonant of a word under specific morphological and syntactic conditions. You can read more about them and how they work in Irish specifically [ here ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_initial_mutations).

Yecht Fradí doesn’t have the same initial mutations as Irish, although some of the rules governing the mutations appear to be the same. The sound changes that occur are listed below.

 **Base Phoneme | Mutated  
** b v  
c / k g  
d s  
fr ru  
g (r)h *  
m v  
r(h) j  
s h  
t d

* appears to gain an rh as the second part of a compound, in vocative form, and certain possessive pronouns

**Initial mutations occur:**

  1. As the second part of a compound  
Cerg **g** anaw  
Vighulg **s** ob  
Ved **rh** ais  
Lan **rh** istel  
Cerg **h** anes  
Díd **g** ídensen  
Cred **h** enes


  1. After certain possessive pronouns*  
my warriors, ma **g** engedan  
my cry, ma **j** armam  
our camp, neis **s** únosed  
our hearts, neis **g** reda  
of our earth, neis **d** írí  
our weapons, suis **g** aishedon  
their blood, wint **g** rem  
your body, ta **g** refem  
of your children, ta **j** enteis  
your cries, deis **rh** arman  
your side, ta **d** abem  
your tears, deis **g** iedon  
your voice, ta **j** odous  
  
*Irregular mutations to be noted with the words “child” and “cry.” More on those later.


  1. Following the vocative   
a **rh** enta  
a **ru** icht  
a **v** inundhanom  
a **v** ergaiga


  1. Following certain prepositions  
with blood, ca **g** rem  
with shame, ca **v** ebel  
from this marked one, de **h** a on ol menawí  
of strength, ad **g** rimoderem  
of renewal, ad **g** enedu


  1. Undetermined, Miscellaneous  
every source, olaun **v** randí  
the mistress, e **d** iernas  
to strengthen, da **g** rimoderidaw  
to accompany, da **g** omarosi  
this camp, sa **s** únosed  
the daughter, e **s** uchtam



**H-Prothesis  
** There is another kind of initial mutation that affects vowel-initial words, called an [ h-prothesis ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_initial_mutations#Changes_to_vowel-initial_words) . This is exactly what it sounds like: words beginning in vowels have an **H** added to the beginning under certain conditions.

**H-prothesis occurs:**

  1. As the second or third part of a compound  
Vig **h** ulgsob  
Vígshád **h** ír  
minund **h** anem  
Anem **h** aid


  1. After certain possessive pronouns  
our research, neis **h** achawa  
your ears, ta **h** auan  
your soul, ta **h** anem


  1. Following certain prepositions  
without the lions, echter **h** e layona  
without the help, echter **h** e voredaw  
with reason, ca **h** adba  
with the, ka **h** e  
co **h** alen


  1. Following a word ending in a vowel (not _da_ when an infinitive verb form follows)  
great mistress/shaman of wisdom, tierna **h** arh cadachtas  
the wind, e **h** awelas  
of all spirits, olei **h** anememen  
to always, da **h** oleg



**Exceptions  
** There appears to be a 3-step process for the mutation of some words that begin with the letter **G** . We can see with the word **_gais_ ** (spear) that it changes to **_rhais_ **when used as the second word in a compound. Fair enough, sounds reasonable.

But then we come across the word “cry.” We see it as:  
the cry, e **g** armam  
your cries, deis **rh** arman  
my cry, ma **j** armam

We come across another word “child” which shows 2/3 of the same behaviors.  
children, a **rh** enta  
my child, ma **rh** entam  
of your children, ta **j** enteis

I went looking for a source word and found the Proto-Celtic _genti-_ for child. Due to this evidence, and because “cry” shows evidence for a 3-part consonant mutation, I believe both “cry” and “child” follow this pattern. I believe both words have a beginning consonant with the base phoneme **G** that may mutate to **RH** or **J** , depending upon the syntactical conditions. They appear to be irregular in this way, since no other words (that we see in-game anyway) exhibit the same behavior.

However, these two words don’t share the same triggers for the same mutations. I propose that, just like one might find in a real language, these two words are just odd ones out who must go their own way and have their own _Special Rules_.

Another consideration to keep in mind concerning initial mutations is word gender.

Modern Irish has just two genders - masculine and feminine - but Old Irish also had a neuter gender. It’s possible that Yecht Fradí has all three genders, or just masculine and feminine. Word gender can affect whether or not a word undergoes mutation or lenition.

Because we have limited examples of the native language, determining conclusive rules about consonant mutation and H-prothesis will likely require first determining the gender of the majority of words. At the moment, I haven’t made much headway with that, but I plan to update this chapter when I do. 

For the moment, there is just one rule I’m confident in proposing.

**Environments for Initial Mutation**

  * appearing as the second+ part of a compound, except when following a word that ends in L



**Environments for H-Prothesis**

  * appearing as the second+ part of a compound




	6. Structure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Notes on various structures in the language.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will likely be added to in the future. For the moment, this chapter covers:  
> \- Sentence Structure  
> \- Adjectives

Yecht Fradí appears to follow many of the conventions of the Irish language.

**Sentence Structure  
**Yecht Fradí follows a VSO ( **verb** - _subject_ -object) sentence structure. Compare this to English, which follows an SVO structure:  
E: _The dog_ **ate** the food.  
YF: **Ate** _the dog_ the food.

E: _Our hearts_ **beat** together.  
YF: **Coudend** _neis greda_ comolei.

However, as noted earlier in Chapter 3, and as can be seen in several sentences in Chapter 4, there appears to be some flexibility.

**Es** _cwé_ to? lit. “Is who you?”  
_Cwé_ **es**? lit. “Who is?”  
_Kwé_ **es** sí? lit. “Who is this?”

In the above examples, only the first follows the VSO rule, while the second and third are SV. During the anatelas fer ritual, we also see examples of the verb coming at the very end of a sentence.

De ta lugedon **veilám**.  
Through your eyes **I will see**.

De ta ragam **buleidám**.  
Through your nose **I will smell**.

Generally however, the verb does appear at the beginning of the sentence.

* * *

**Adjectives  
**In English, adjectives often come before the noun they modify. In Yecht Fradí, adjectives generally appear to _follow_ the nouns they modify:  
E: **green** trees  
YF: trees **green**

E: **old** fort  
YF: sen **sení**

E: **great** mistress  
YF: tierna **harh**

E: **iron** backs  
YF: bod **airní**

E: **yellow** eyes  
YF: lugeid **blau**


	7. Miscellaneous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter for random bits and pieces about the language as they are discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will very likely be added to in the future. At the moment, the contents are:  
>  \- Conjunction “And”  
>  \- Determiner “The”
> 
> I did my best to include all available examples so that anyone interested can see how I came to my conclusions.

** The Conjunction “And”  
** **a / ag**

Both of these words mean “and,” but **_ag_** is always used when the conjunction is to be followed by **_es_** (is) or **_en_** (in). Below are all available examples of the conjunction “and” in Yecht Fradí.  
a ol slaí  
a dígelam  
a ren casí  
a deis giedon  
a linkwíd  
a de ta lámam  
a yígídámes  
a bud an ta dabem  
  


ag en olei veyí  
ag es farnau fradí  
ag es radei

* * *

** The Determiner “The”  
** **e / he**

As you can see below, **_e_** is used a vast majority of the time. Based on the examples, I believe that **_he_** is only used when following the prepositions **_ca / ka_** (with) or **_echter_** (without).  
en **e** cergam  
doug **e** kantel **e** hawelas  
**e** dau taidend  
blagoiri **e** lougí  
**e** dau vregend  
galud é **e** renaigsa  
faurnd **e** dar  
doug **e** kantel en awelas  
comarosd **e** mál  
díd **e** kíden nádaígeis  
clos **e** garmam **e** talemí  
clos **e** ciedom  
casí **e** crimoderem  
celg **e** layon  
dégewd **e** dúnosed  
tranegaw **e** sen  
roudaw **e** diernas harh  
beurd **e** lerg  
grimoderidaw **e** nádí  
vogníd **e** renaigsa  
cwerrídaw **e** suchtam  
vred **e** layona  
komfrangawí **e** brandí  
ber **e** vridenan  
gomarosi **e** tégedach  
dag **e** lochsen  
clos **e** garmam  
yígídámes **e** tír comolei  
vregd **e** dedmád

echter **he** layona  
echter **he** voredaw  
ka **he** suchtam


	8. (Prepositional) Pronouns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word highlighted purple in the pronouns table is one that does not appear in the game. It is simply a word that I proposed to fill that particular role, which I based off the other pronouns we _are_ given in the game.

Pronouns in Yecht Fradí are somewhat complicated. There are the normal pronouns you might think of (me, you, he, she, it, we, etc.) but there’s also a special case of pronouns that can be found in Irish and some other languages called [prepositional](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepositional_pronoun#:~:text=A%20prepositional%20pronoun%20is%20a,relates%20solely%20to%20prepositional%20pronouns.) [pronouns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_grammar#Prepositions). In this case, a personal pronoun is used as the object of a preposition.

This means that, for example, “me” in various prepositional phrases will appear differently. “At me” will look different from “with me,” and so on and so forth.

Complicating this matter is how Celtic languages and Yecht Fradí handle certain subjects as compared to English. 

In English, you may see a sentence like, “ _Carol has a new sword_.” In Yecht Fradí, this might appear as something like “ _Is new sword at Carol_.” 

In Irish, “ _I’m sorry”_ is literally translated as “ _Sorrow is on me.”_

In English, we say that we “have” certain features such as brown hair, blue eyes, etc., but in Celtic languages features are “on” someone. _“Gail has large eyes”_ would look like, _“Is eyes large on Gail.”_

Now remember that the pronouns are I/me, you, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them, it. “ _At you”_ is going to look different from _“at us_ ,” and so on and so forth. As you might imagine, this means there are a lot of prepositional pronouns. Considering we don’t have evidence of every single one of them in the native dialogue, identifying what’s what is a bit complicated.

Below I’ve listed some prepositions and what they’re used for when combined with pronouns in the Irish language. I wanted to make note of them because having a general idea of the applicability will help when looking at more literal translations, or if you’re feeling really brave, creating your own sentences. The exact meanings may not translate perfectly to prepositional pronouns in Yecht Fradí.  
at = possession  
out of = from a place  
to = toward, for  
to = for  
with = ownership  
from = desire or need

** Pronouns in Yecht Fradí **

-

| 

-

| 

**Subject Pronouns**

| 

**Object Pronouns**

| 

**Possessive Adjectives**  
  
---|---|---|---|---  
  
-

| 

-

| 

**_Eng_**

| 

**_YF_**

| 

**_Eng_**

| 

**_YF_**

| 

**_Eng_**

| 

**_YF_**  
  
**1st**

| 

_sg_

| 

I

| 

me

| 

me

| 

me

| 

my

| 

ma  
  
-

| 

_pl_

| 

we

| 

ní

| 

us

| 

duis* / ní**

| 

our

| 

neis  
  
**2nd**

| 

_sg_

| 

you

| 

to

| 

you

| 

to

| 

your

| 

ta  
  
-

| 

_pl_

| 

you (you all)

| 

to?

| 

you (you all)

| 

to?

| 

your (y’all’s)

| 

deis / suis?  
  
**3rd**

| 

_m_

| 

he/it

| 

é

| 

him/it

| 

é

| 

his/its

| 

**éi**  
  
-

| 

_f_

| 

she/it

| 

se

| 

her/it

| 

se

| 

her/its

| 

sei / hei  
  
-

| 

_pl_

| 

they

| 

ent

| 

them

| 

ent

| 

their

| 

wint  
  
*duis - The forms of the subject pronoun directly following the verb are called conjunctive  
**ní - If a pronoun is not the subject or if a subject pronoun does not follow the verb (as in a verbless clause, or as the subject of the copula, where the pronoun stands at the end of the sentence), the so-called disjunctive forms are used

**Examples of duis vs. ní  
** Lincwíd dwint da darbau sa ya galansend **ní**.  
Allow them to chase those who slaughter **us**.

Clos **duis** , a ruicht neis dírí!  
Hear **us** , o face of our land!

Bo radei em bo moy catasach **ní**...  
**We** should have been more vigilant…

* * *

**Prepositional Pronouns  
**Below are my current thoughts on prepositional pronouns in the game, with examples.

With preposition **_cwa_** (to)  
cwad, _to you  
_ cwe, _to him  
_ cwint, _to them_

Toig, es radei em rádíd cwad.  
Come, I must speak to-you.

Selldís cwe!  
Look to-him!

Sients rádidaw cwint da dégewd me en?  
Are you able to speak to-them to let me in?

Based on the examples, this form of prepositional pronoun appears to be directional, where an action is performed _towards_ someone. I must speak _to(wards)_ you, look _towards_ him, speak _to(wards)_ them.

Obviously, these all sound a bit off translation-wise, so one must use their best judgment when translating into English and vice versa. The second example, for instance, would sound better in English as _Look at him!_

With preposition **_da_** (from, to)  
dad, _to you  
_ dam, _to me  
_ dwint, _to them_

Sell dad!  
Look to-you!

Men duis dad.  
Mark us to-you.

Men é dad.  
Mark him to-you.

Men se dad.  
Mark her to-you.

Nád dam dent!  
Protect to-me from-them!

Ber e vridenan ta hanemó kwa ta grefem a linkwíd dam da renaw de ta jodous.  
Trace the roots of your soul to your body and allow to-me to use of your voice.

Faurnd e dar ad grimoderem dam.  
Offer the gift of strength to-me.

Lincwíd dwint da darbau sa ya galansend ní.  
Allow to-them to chase those who slaughter us.

Going by the examples, this form of prepositional pronoun appears to be used in the sense of performing an action _for_ someone. Mark us _for you_ , protect _for me_ , allow _for them_ , etc.

As above, literal translations appear odd. _Look to-you!_ makes more sense in English as _Look out!_

With preposition **_de_** (of, by, from, through)  
dem, _from me  
_ dent, _from them_  
  
Es celg e layon sag ná esloidád dem ochs has.  
Is clever the lion but she will not escape from-me forever.

Ná tégeud dem!  
Don’t leave from-me!

Tégedís dem!  
Leave from-me!

Nád dam dent!  
Protect to-me from-them!

Togomber neis grem ol snegauí a ren casí e crimoderem da negau ed dent.  
Receive our shed blood and exchange with-this the strength to spill that from-them.

This prepositional pronoun (for a change) translates pretty well to English, and it [indicates](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/from) a source or agent.

* * *

***Em  
** I’m not actually certain if **_em_** is a prepositional pronoun or a conjunctive/disjunctive form of the pronoun **_me_**. It funtions most often in two modal verb phrases, which I’ll be covering in a later chapter, and seems to carry a meaning like “with-me” or “for-me.” However, if it _is_ a prepositional pronoun, I don’t know which preposition it’s fused with. Still, despite not knowing its exact nature, I felt it was worth mentioning in this chapter.

I’ve gathered all examples of **_em_** in the game below, translated fairly literally. As you’ll see, it’s used quite often within the language.

Es doug em nás cwels se…  
Is opinion with-me not far she…  
Es radei da orhelaw em adregd cwa hei luchtom.  
Is necessary to avoid for-me her return to her family.  
Smeuns em ná fravind ed?  
You think for-me not I know that?  
Smeunaw em lincwídem tégewd ent!  
To think with-me we let leave them!  
Bo radei em bo moy catasach ní...  
Was necessary for-me were more vigilant we…  
Es doug em es ca hadba se...  
Is opinion with-me is with reasons she…  
Toig, es radei em rádíd cwad.  
Come, is necessary for-me to speak to-you.


End file.
